The present invention relates to optical communication systems, in general, and more particularly to a system and method of self-configuring optical communication channels between arrays of emitters and detectors.
Greater demands for increased bandwidth are being made on data communication between electrical data processing units or subunits, like printed circuit (PC) boards, for example. Communication rates of tens of gigabits per second are exemplary of such demands. These demands can not be met by traditional metal electrical connections, like those found on mother boards and back plane connections, for example. One solution to meet these demands is to create optical communication channels for board-to-board communication using a light coupling between an array of light emitters connected to one PC board and an array of light detectors connected to another PC board.
A drawback to this solution is that each light emitter must be precisely aligned with a corresponding light detector to form optical communication channels between the PC board arrays. This precise alignment is no simple task and generally requires additional equipment and man-hours to achieve. In addition, once the precise alignment is initially achieved, it may have to be repeated from time to time, due to misalignment due to such effects as shock, vibration, temperature changes and the like, for example.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of forming the light coupling channels to provide a self-configuration of optical communication channels between arrays of light emitters and detectors without initial precise alignment and including a method for dynamic reconfiguration.